ALEXANDRIA, Va. — For the third consecutive winter, we’ve had measurable snow fall in March; it’s like I don’t even know you anymore, BeltwayLand. This time, I measured 5 &frac78; inches total. I’m guessing more than that fell, but since it rained since yesterday, a lot of of it probably melted. It may reach 6 inches if it keeps falling for a little longer.

What’s noteworthy about this storm is protests against the U.S. Capitol policy banning sledding. D.C. delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton tried to get the ban lifted, but Capitol police did not do it, so there was a protest, hence the “Sled Free of Die Storm.” That’s a way better name than whatever The Weather Channel used.

After waiting until February 17 for the first snow day of the year, Alexandria City Public Schools are now on their third closing. I think the last one was a “well, we have these snow days just lying around” situation, but today was a valid one. Our family in Fairfax County and Virginia though – whoa, they’ve been hammered with snow days and I feel for them.

Recently, while waiting for the bus, the HAWK signal (High intensity Activated crossWalK) was activating about every minute without intervention. That gave me a chance to see about 5 cycles and how motorists responded. Some simply blew through it, despite four reds in each direction. Others stopped and remained so until the entire red cycle, including flashing, was completed. Few knew that if the crosswalks were clear, the flashing reds function as a stop sign and it was permissible to proceed after a full stop. That was the norm and only on one occasion did it lead to horns honking.

Given the length of time the HAWK signal has been in service, it’s clear that they are not universally understood. HAWK signals aren’t unique to this Alexandria intersection either — there are some on Eisenhower Ave. as well as installations in Arlington and The District. Is more education needed? Even then, how often are drivers in a position to be educated when licenses only come up for renewal every four years in the commonwealth. The other possibility is to convert HAWKs to standard red-yellow-green signals.

Either way, I believe that having traffic control at this particular intersection is warranted. The busy 8W/8Z Metro bus route as well as a DASH bus route travels along Van Dorn St. daily. The layout of the corridor, residential on the east side and a buffer between Van Dorn & Interstate 395 on the west side limits the HAWK usage to primarily in the evening so that bus riders can cross Van Dorn to get to condos and apartments. I have seen some motorists from Maris Ave. get out of their cars and activate the HAWK so that they can turn left in the morning as well.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. —ALEXANDRIA, Va. — I added this after the fact for posterity. It snowed 2¼ inches and I measured on my patio because it was dry when the storm started — the yard still had leftover snow from the Fat Presidents Storm.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — It may be #blizzardof2015 (of #BlizzardBust) further up the Northeast Corridor, but here it’s 1 ½ inches of accumulated powder. It took me about 20 minutes to get the car cleared off to an acceptable level. Traffic along Interstate 395 and N. Van Dorn Street is moving well; about 4 Metrobuses and one DASH bus went by as I was clearing.

Alexandria City Public Schools are on a two hour day, as is the Federal Government. The rest of the area – WTOP Closings & Delays

The Virginia Department of Transportation has released another Then & Now video, this time of Henry G. Shirley Highway in 1949, then known as Virginia primary route 350 and now Interstate 395. Last time, the video was of US 29 in Arlington. This time VDOT recreated about a 2-mile drive along Shirley Highway and combined it with the 1949 footage (IN COLOR!) of the same stretch of road, though nothing really is the same:

Shirley Highway predates the interstate highway system, having been built to provide access to the Pentagon and the Fairlington development that came out of World War II as well as a bypass of US 1 a bypass of US 1 between the Occoquan and Potomac Rivers. Technically, Shirley Highway did not go over either river, but provided a direct connection between the two of them.

In the original 1956 interstate highway plan, VA 350 was to be part of I-95. The new number may not have been posted as such until massive rebuilding in the early 1970s that included 2 reversible express lanes. The designation was short-lived though as the proposal to build I-95 between New York Ave (US 50) and the Capital Beltway near College Park was cancelled. Shirley Highway was re-designated I-395 in 1977.

The contrast between then and now is striking of course. The video begins near Edsall Road which today is just south of the terminus of the “EZ Pass Express” toll lanes that supplanted the 1971 express lanes. The two lanes in each direction with no shoulders of 1949 is unrecognizable to the 11 lanes over three separated roadways of now. The hills of the Alexandria area are quite visible too — it looks like a rural area then. Because it was.

Concrete arch bridges (similar to the Washington Blvd spans over Columbia Pike that are being replaced now) and sporadic white guide signs have been replaced by steel girders and frequent big green signs. A conspicuous NO THRU TRUCKS signal also makes an appearance.

Rolling along in 1949 Shirley Highway was through untouched country side past the current Landmark Mall (opened as a shopping center in 1956) and the new Mark Center. Van Dorn Street, which parallels Shirley Highway now wasn’t even there yet, nor was it’s residential development. That would come within a decade. The large Mark Center building would only open in the last few years.

This is a fun exercise for me, seeing what the area close to my current home looked like long before I was born. A late former neighbor grew up in Fairlington and told me about how they would ride their bicycles along the grading for an Shirley Highway when it was under construction; I wish I could show him this video.

There is a lot more to learn about Shirley Highway and see maps and photographs and I recommend the following sites:

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — An Alberta Clipper has arrived with the first snow fall of 2015. As of 8:10 a.m. there are &2 frac14; inches on the ground outside of WWN headquarters in the West End of the city. Road conditions are poor! My wife turned around because Van Dorn Street was an untreated parking lot. Alexandria schools are delayed two hours. The rest of the area – WTOP Closings & Delays

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — For over a year, a broken sewer line closed portions of the Holmes Run Trail west of ParkLawn Swimming pool. There were warnings to stay away from the water and at times, the trail was completely fenced off.

Since mid-September though, the trail has been available if not officially reopened. New asphalt has been laid down between Columbia Pike and Parklawn make the ride much smoother too. Combined with the Eisenhower Ave. Trail, there is a continuous route from Lake Barcroft to the Carlye section of Alexandria, just west of Old Town.

West of Interstate 395 and of Beauregard Street in particular, Holmes Run carves its way out of rock as it descends toward Cameron Run and the tidal Potomac River. It’s beautiful all year long, but particularly as the autumnal color arrives.

THE ROUTE

The western terminus of the trail is at Columbia Pike near Lake Barcroft. Descending in a generally south-southeast direction through the woods, the trail has four water crossings. The second-most western one tends to be fairly deep, several inches. If you choose to ride through the at-grade water crossings YOU WILL GET WET. The alternative is to carry your bicycle as you walk across stepstones. As of October 25, the water wasn’t too cold yet.

After the fourth water crossing, the new pavement ends in the vicinity of Parklawn Swimming pool. The setting is more open and all there is a brief respite from the leaf covered trail. Near Chambliss Street there is a recently constructed concrete bridge over the Run and then it is back into forest. There is a fork in the trail, but keep right for the main trail. Dora Kelley Park abuts the trail here and there are a few other trails through their to the streets of western Alexandria. The trail surfaces changes along this stretch with old asphalt, concrete and even wooden viaducts to contend with along the way. Traffic also picks up, mostly walkers, many of them with dogs who may or may not be leashed. Give ample warning and be prepared to stop as the level of attentiveness cannot be relied upon. Climbing up to Beauregard Street is a wooden viaduct that can feel quite narrow with others on it. After crossing Beauregard, the trail winds through the woods with poor sightlines. Here it is especially important to be mindful of others and take a leisurely pace.

The trail travels through two tunnels, a long dark one at I-395 and another at Van Dorn Street. Expect to be splashed by the puddles along the way. The final crossing of Homles Run is atop a damn east of Van Dorn Street. From there, the trail footprint is within a long, narrow park, so watch out for families and small children. After the park, it’s back into the woods before an underpass at Duke Street. A sharp turn awaits near another playground and then the final stretch to Eisenhower Avenue under railroad and Metro viaducts — it’s a good spot for railfans. At Eisenhower Avenue, cyclists have the option of choosing the sidewalk on the northside of the roadway to Great Waves water park or continuing under the roadway to a merge onto the Eisenhower Avenue Trail that parallels Cameron Run.

Judging by the weather for this weekend and next week, this may be the last weekend with decent conditions for some time. It’s also a good park to hike through with some scrambling opportunities as well.

It’s late-September — school is open, the Washington Nationals have won the NL East, football is back and daylight is becoming scarce as it is officially autumn at 10:29 p.m. tonight. Gin and tonic season has gracefully yielded to Oktoberfests and ales made with last year’s pumpkin crop. The same will happen with this year’s apples too.

OKTOBERFESTS
As much as I like Oktoberfest beers, mid-August is TOO SOON for them to be released. The trouble can be they sell out before the swimming pools all close. Now, though, it’s definitely time to start drinking them. Actually, a few weeks ago…

“It’s a very traditional Oktoberfest,” explains Jeff Hancock, President & Head Brewer of DC Brau. “In recent years, Oktoberfests from Germany have started getting lighter in color and are closer to resembling Helles lagers than Oktoberfests or Märzens. We think our version will stand out amongst the myriad pumpkin beers and Oktoberfests on the market this season.”

They are only making 60 barrels though, all for draft distribution or growler fills, but including Nationals Park.

Outside of BeltwayLand, Flying Dog of Frederick, Md. makes Dogtoberfest. It’s not my favorite, but it tends to stick around longer than some of the other ones. At least in Northern Virginia. Former Ashburn-based Old Dominion also brews one from Delaware.

I really like the Shiner Oktoberfest as well as Leingkugel’s and Great Lakes. Yuengling’s was disappointing and Samuel Adams is okay and probably the most-heavily distributed.

OMBUDTOBERFEST?
Just going going to throw this out there for the Ombudsman — how about brewing a märzen next year around this time? No wedding to plan and the house is moved into, so how about it?

Also, I owe you a half-smoke.

FESTIVAL SEASONDrink up: A guide to local fall beer festivals – The Post
There are several beer festivals, mostly celebrating Oktoberfest in the D.C. area plus Annapolis and Baltimore. Snallygaster is already in the past, but there are still others to come. I might check out the Shirlington one hosted by Capital City Brewing Co. since it’s nearby, but we’ll see. Or maybe I’ll stop by my hometown for Vienna Oktoberfest. That one is a bit on the family friendly side which may be a feature, not a bug. #dadlife

When the seasons change, explains DC Brau co-founder Brandon Skall, his brewery’s canning line acts up. In the last week, roughly 65 cases of canned beer were sealed while only half or two-thirds full. “It’s perfect beer, but the cans are just too shallow to go to the market,” Skall says. The brewery staff prepared to get rid of the beer, but “it breaks my heart to just dump it down the drain,” Skall says.

Then he had a brainstorm. “I’d heard about people who distilled with beer, so I called John [Uselton, the owner of New Columbia Distillers] and asked him if we could do something with it.”

Then, news broke late Thursday that Pabst Brewing is being sold to Russian company Oasis Beverages for an undisclosed sum. Oasis is partnering with TSG, an investment firm, to buy Pabst. TSG Consumer Partners will take a minority stake in Pabst.

Oasis describes itself as a “leading independent brewer in Russia with growing soft drink operations.” The company was founded in 2008. It has facilities in Kazakhstan, Belarus and Ukraine.

So, in addition to Pabst, Old Style, Schlitz, Natty Boh, Old Milwaukee, Stroh’s and others are now all Russian owned…

With the sale of PBR to a Russian company, the USA has officially won the Cold War

1941 newsreel featuring Washington Senators falling to the New York Yankees, 3-0 at Griffith Stadium in the traditional Presidential opener. Also included, Hank Greenburg’s Army induction and a “draft” for Washington women to dance with servicemen.